NASA Missions

The Loci Framework is a system of code developed at MSU and
used by NASA

After discovering that damage from the 2003 Columbia accident was
due to a flaw in the thermal protection system, NASA heightened its safety awareness efforts and began
using computational fluid dynamics to provide heat predictions.

CHEM vs DPLR

Designed by Mississippi State’s Dr. Ed Luke, a
framework of code called Loci is impacting NASA’s detection methods of potential damage during shuttle
launches.

During NASA’s STS-134 Endeavour launch in 2011, tiles
on the heat shield were damaged during takeoff. To
determine if the craft could sustain re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, NASA incorporated Loci, Luke’s
framework of code, into their real-time assessment of the shuttle’s damage.

Loci

Logic Programming for
Parallel Computational Field Simulations

The Loci framework uses a logic-based paradigm of
programming which guarantees that the only models generated are internally and logically consistent. While
that does not guarantee the system is free of all errors, it does eliminate an important class of program
faults. Differing from traditional, imperative-based software that requires the user to provide a series of
commands, Loci receives information with a specific goal in mind and then controls the following steps.

The Loci Framework in Action

Actual Damage

Damage Simulated

NASA implemented loci on STS-134, the final mission
of the Endeavour shuttle, when debris from takeoff left damage on a tank lacking previously implemented
safety modifications. Initial images taken from space appeared to show deep damage to the tank, because of
the appearance of a reddish color, indicating the only remaining protection to the structure was the exposed
filler bar. The Loci framework used photogrammetry to map out of the cavity, confirming that the “flow
physics and heating from the simplified cavity cases were reasonable” for NASA to confidently initiate
Endeavour’s reentry to the atmosphere.